Feminism and Pan Africanism

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80 | Feminist Africa 20 According to media reports, there were attempts to silence Joyce Banda and eventually drive her into resigning from the office of vice-president. One of the strategies included a plot to arrest her on trumped up treason charges. This, however, did not happen. Another alleged plan was to enact legislation that would empower the president to fire his/her vice-president. The Constitution does not give the president the power to fire his/her vice president. The constitution stipulates that the vice president shall hold office from the date of the administration of the oath until the end of end of the president’s term of office. What was clear is that Banda’s security detail was reduced and some official cars were withdrawn from her use. Further, as Tenthani (2012) notes, she was “subjected to daily doses of derision at public rallies and on Malawi’s state airwaves”. A senior politician categorically declared that Malawi “was not ready for a female president” (Tenthani, 2012). The then First Lady, Callista Mutharika, joined the verbal attacks, referring to Banda as wophika mandasi (one who bakes fritters), in derisive reference to Joyce Banda’s involvement in women in small businesses. The First Lady is quoted as saying: “She will never be president, how can a mandasi [fritter] seller be president?” To this, Joyce Banda responded: “Yes, she’s right, I’m indeed a mandasi seller and I’m proud of it because the majority of women in Malawi are like us, mandasi sellers” (Tenthani, 2012). The African Renaissance seeks new ways of thinking and feeling about African men and women, their histories, economic, social and political statuses. In other words, the African Renaissance should be a process towards the decolonization of the gender-biased mind, and the resolve to redress ideologies of differential power relations between men and women and the gendered socialization that continue to marginalize, oppress and discriminate against women. Women in Africa must be treated as full-fledged citizens and be given every opportunity to use their potential fully including in political power. Ironically, at the occasion marking Malawi’s 50 years of independence on 6 July 2014, President Peter Mutharika (and younger brother of the late President Bingu wa Mutharika) praised his late brother for choosing Joyce Banda as presidential running mate, saying that the appointment was a step in line with the empowerment of women. He further said: “I take it as no mean achievement that in the first fifty (50) years of our independence,
Standpoint | 81 Malawians have had a female president, Dr Joyce Banda” (Dumbula, 2014). It is clear that the chose of Joyce Banda for presidential running mate in 2009 was a well-calculated political maneuver that was aimed at assisting Bingu wa Mutharika to win the votes, in the context of a global discourse favoring the empowerment of women in leadership. Once in power, Bingu wa Mutharika unceremonious shift towards Joyce Banda underscored the way political systems treat and instrumentalise women. References African Union. 2009. Gender policy. Addis Ababa: African Union. Akihire, J. 2004. Towards women’s effective participation in electoral processes: A review of the Ugandan experience. Feminist Africa. Issue number 3. Dumbula, J. 2014. APM hails late Bingu for choosing JB as running-mate in 2009. http://malawi24.com/amp-hails-late-bingu-for-choosing-jb-as-=runningmate2009/[retrieved 14 July 2014] Haralambos, M & M. Holborn. 2008. Sociology: Themes and perspectives. London: Harper Collins Publishers. Ibrahim, J. 2004. The first lady syndrome and the marginalisation of women from power: Opportunities or compromises for gender equality? Feminist Africa. Issue 3. Kamlongera, P. 2008. Malawi women’s participation in state politics: What are the constraints? Gender and Development. 16 (3): 471-480. Kaspin, D. 1995. The politics of ethnicity in Malawi democratic transition. Journal of Modern African Studies. 33(4): 595-620. Malawi Government. 2008. Revised Gender Policy. Lilongwe: Ministry of Women and Child Development. Mama, A. 1995. Feminism or femocracy? State feminism and democratisation in Nigeria. Africa Development. 20 (1): 37-58. Msimang, S. 2000. African Renaissance: Where are the women? Agenda. 44: 67-83. Nelson, C. 1974. Public and private politics: Women in the middle eastern world. University of Chicago Press. Okeke, E. P. & O. Godwin 2006. Women, NEPAD and nation building: Revisiting a dying debate. African Sociological Review. 10 (2): 72-93. Posner, D. N. 1995. Malawi’s new dawn. Journal of Democracy. 6 (1): 131-145. Southern Africa Development Community. 2008 Protocol on gender and development. Gaborone: Southern Africa Development Community Tamale, S. 2000. ‘Point of order, Mr Speaker’: African women claiming their space in parliament. Gender and Development. 8 (3): 8-15.
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Issue 20 | 2015 Feminism and Pan Af
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ii | Feminist Africa 20 Editorial p
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Feminist Africa 20 | v Contents Edi
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Editorial | 1 Editorial: Feminism a
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challenges still remain. Pan-Africa
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Editorial | 5 state structures to c
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Feature article | 7 and autonomy of
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Feature article | 9 and yield meagr
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Feature article | 11 structured, an
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Feature article | 13 raises the que
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Feature article | 15 2006: 4). The
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Feature article | 17 and explaining
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Feature article | 19 operating outs
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Feature article | 21 In other words
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Feature article | 23 Chatterjee, Ip
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Feature article | 25 Prasad, Monica
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Feature article | 27 the question t
Page 37 and 38: Feature article | 29 health centres
Page 39 and 40: Feature article | 31 People’s Rig
Page 41 and 42: Feature article | 33 Accordingly, t
Page 43 and 44: Feature article | 35 proceed. He ha
Page 45 and 46: Feature article | 37 The Nexus betw
Page 47 and 48: Feature article | 39 Without a more
Page 49 and 50: Feature article | 41 Ahikire, Josep
Page 51 and 52: Feature article | 43 Creating Women
Page 53 and 54: Feature article | 45 1889, 1960, 21
Page 55 and 56: Feature article | 47 negotiations.
Page 57 and 58: Feature article | 49 they could sha
Page 59 and 60: Feature article | 51 This created a
Page 61 and 62: Feature article | 53 upon to partic
Page 63 and 64: Feature article | 55 gender, peace
Page 65 and 66: Feature article | 57 Ama Ata Aidoo
Page 67 and 68: Feature article | 59 collections of
Page 69 and 70: Feature article | 61 Carole Boyce D
Page 71 and 72: Feature article | 63 something” (
Page 73 and 74: Feature article | 65 Her mother hai
Page 75 and 76: Feature article | 67 Endnotes 1. Th
Page 77 and 78: Feature article | 69 Archives and C
Page 79 and 80: Feature article | 71 conceptions of
Page 81 and 82: Feature article | 73 As individuals
Page 83 and 84: Feature article | 75 3. We concur w
Page 85 and 86: Standpoint | 77 When Exploitation i
Page 87: appointed Minister of Foreign Affai
Page 91 and 92: In Conversation | 83 In Conversatio
Page 93 and 94: In Conversation | 85 Marziya Mohamm
Page 95 and 96: In Conversation | 87 We follow Audr
Page 97 and 98: In Conversation | 89 The sister to
Page 99 and 100: In Conversation | 91 are planned. S
Page 101 and 102: In Conversation | 93 Five Stories I
Page 103 and 104: In Conversation | 95 shower. Yes, I
Page 105 and 106: In Conversation | 97 Dayo: My curre
Page 107 and 108: In Conversation | 99 bell hooks, Be
Page 109 and 110: Review | 101 Feminism, Empowerment
Page 111 and 112: engaged in gender mainstreaming is
Page 113 and 114: Review | 105 Migrant Women of Johan
Page 115 and 116: elow.” This is a bold move that c
Page 117 and 118: Review | 109 In Idi Amin’s Shadow
Page 119 and 120: so by brilliantly employing central
Page 121 and 122: ut military service available to me
Page 123 and 124: Review | 115 without graves.” The
Page 125 and 126: our thoughts, and our knowledge pro
Page 127 and 128: women freedom fighters alongside th
Page 129 and 130: which white supremacy founds itself
Page 131 and 132: Review | 123 The Art of Ama Ata Aid
Page 133 and 134: as much in the slave castles that l
Page 135 and 136: Review | 127 Legacies and Losses: A
Page 137 and 138: Schwarz’s detailed account of Cab
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of a new humanity as Fanon-Mendès
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Contributors 18 | 133 Contributors
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Contributors 18 | 135 Juliet Kamwen
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Contributors 18 | 137 & Artistic Ex
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